Arsenal have started the Christmas period off in a good fashion, collecting the full six points so far, and reinforcing something we’ve known for a while: Alexis Sanchez is clearly sensational, and is surely the greatest talent the club has had since… forever, or Thierry Henry, which feels like forever.
Alexis scored and created, and even missed a penalty thanks to some (I’d call it cheating) blatant hand signals from Chilean team mate, Vargas. The thing with Alexis, separating himself from the Arsenal squad, is that he knows if he misses a penalty, or has a bad patch, he will bounce back almost instantly, fuelled by his remarkable appetite for the game. We are so, so lucky to have him, and even more so when you consider the neglect running through the entire club. Surely if nothing changes in the New Year, Alexis won’t be killing it in red and white for much longer. Still, he’s our golden boy, our best player, player of the season, and probably player of the season come the end of the campaign when we finish fourth. As mentioned, he scored and assisted against a hopeless QPR, who we should have destroyed, had Giroud not dipped his little mind in a moment of madness. It’s not like we’re short on players at the moment or anything… Honestly, what a moron. So, Alexis won another game, and carried his shine onto West Ham, which saw Arsenal (finally) play some nice football. He harried and hustled, and got booked for his desire to win; something I wish more of our players would do – the fighting part, and not the unnecessary bookings.
Another big nod goes to Santi Cazorla who has really turned around his dismal season. Since he turned thirty, he’s been quite brilliant for us, primarily responsible for our control of the midfield and our probing of defences. He created and scored the awarding penalty at West Ham, and further continued his great form. He’s also confident from the penalty spot, which is nice.
And penalties! Look at them rack up this season! I count more penalty awards and lucky decisions than the last decade, so that’s cool. And luck is something we could do well to hang onto for the remainder of the season. Monaco, I’m looking at you, lead the way.
Also, where’s Rosicky been? I don’t believe he’s had an injury all season. There’s been virtually no mention of him from Wenger in any of the press conferences when quizzed about player’s out. Might be me, but there’s something not right there. And when he did play against QPR, it’s clear that we’ve missed his zippiness. He’s a top player when he’s on his game, and he gives so much energy and link-up play to our midfield. It’s good to have him back, anyway.
Rounding things off, I’m still struggling to see the vision of what Arsenal are trying to achieve. It used to be so easy to pinpoint Arsenal’s style, but along with the manager, and I keep saying this, our vision has got lost on the way. We shouldn’t be floundering around in the final minutes of every game. It’s not healthy or fun. I can only pray that Wenger brings in a powerhouse into our midfield. It’s what we desperately need. It would be the first step in the transformation of the team. It worked for Chelsea, and it can work for Arsenal. The people upstairs simply need to stop fooling themselves, and wake up.